The Technical Sub-Committee of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved several requests from member associations and confederations to implement the experiment with two additional assistant referees during the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons at a meeting held today, Wednesday, 21 July 2010 in Cardiff, Wales. The full list of approved requests can be found below.

At a previous Special Meeting of the IFAB held in Zurich on 18 May 2010, the Board had reviewed the experiment with two additional assistant referees that was carried out in the 2009/2010 UEFA Europa League, and had decided to continue the experiment until the 126th IFAB Annual General Meeting in 2012, but not to limit it to a single confederation. Therefore, confederations and member associations wishing to conduct this experiment were invited to inform IFAB of their interest for a decision to be taken at the meeting of the Technical Sub-Committee in Wales.

Four basic criteria had been established in order to approve the experiment:

1. The experiment must be conducted in member associations’ professional leagues and competitions or at confederation level (club competitions only).

2. The experiment must be completed in time to allow a decision to be taken in 2012.

3. The additional costs incurred by conducting such an experiment must be covered by the relevant league, member association or confederation.

4. It is mandatory for all matches in the applicable competition to be officiated with two additional assistant referees.

Based on these criteria, the following requests were approved, provided that the protocol established by the IFAB for the experiment is followed:

Asian Football Confederation (AFC): AFC President’s Cup 2010 (24-26 September)

Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF): Campeonato Baiano de Futebol Feminino 2010 (Sept-Dec 2010), Campeonato Carioca de 2011

Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación (FMF): Torneo Clausura 2011, Torneo Apertura 2011 and Torneo Clausura 2012

Fédération Française de Football (FFF): Coupe de la Ligue 2010/2011 (League Cup)

Union des associations européennes de football (UEFA): UEFA Champions League 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, UEFA Europa League 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, and UEFA Super Cup 2010 and 2011.

Also approved, but pending confirmation of the specific competitions, were official competitions of the Federação Baiana, the Federação Paulista and Federação Pernambucana in Brazil.

Finally, FIFA and the Technical Sub-Committee confirmed that goal-line technology will be on the agenda of the next Annual Business Meeting of the IFAB in October 2010.

A Special Meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), chaired by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, was held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich to discuss outstanding proposals regarding the Laws of the Game that were carried over from the 124th Annual General Meeting in March.

A presentation was provided on the experiment with additional assistant referees in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League, following the conclusion of 144 league stage matches and 61 knockout phase fixtures. It was agreed that for a period of two years, FIFA’s six Confederations and 208 Member Associations, subject to agreement from the IFAB, will be able to experiment using Additional Assistant Referees.

FIFA will outline the protocol for this non-compulsory trial in a Circular to the six FIFA Confederations and 208 Member Associations shortly. Authorisation will be given by an IFAB Sub-Committee by the end of July 2010.

The Board approved an amendment proposed by the Scottish Football Association concerning the role of the Fourth Official. The amendment extends the scope of the Fourth Official’s duty to “assist the referee to control the match in accordance with the Laws of the Game. The referee however, retains the authority to decide on all points connected with play.”

The Board also approved an amendment in the wording of Law 14 (The Penalty Kick). “Feinting in the run-up to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted, however feinting to kick the ball once the player has completed his run-up is now considered an infringement of Law 14 and an act of unsporting behaviour for which the player must be cautioned.“

Finally it was agreed that the IFAB will seek the views of players, coaches and match officials following the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ to discuss Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct, which relates to sending-off offences; the so-called “triple sanction”.

The decisions concerning the Laws of the Game taken today by the International Football Association Board will come into effect on 1 June 2010.

The 125th Annual General Meeting will take place at Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales between 4 and 6 March 2011.

Hamburg Arena, Hamburg
Thursday 22 April 2010 – 21.05CET (21.05 local time)

A final appearance at their own home stadium is within touching distance of Hamburger SV, but they will not underestimate a Fulham FC side who are in the semi-finals of a major European competition for the first time in their history.

Previous meetings
• The sides have never met in Europe.

• Hamburg have played 12 games against English sides in European club competition, with the record W4 D2 L6: W4 D1 L1 at home. Those ties include a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest FC in the 1979/80 European Champion Clubs’ Cup final in Madrid.

• Those previous meetings include four two-legged knockout ties, of which HSV won three and lost one, going down 7-1 on aggregate to Liverpool FC in the 1977 UEFA Super Cup.

• Their best result against an English side – home or away – remains a 4-1 win against Burnley FC in the 1960/61 European Cup quarter-final second leg. Their worst was a 6-0 loss at Anfield in the aforementioned UEFA Super Cup game.

• Arsenal FC are the only team from England to have won at the Hamburg Arena, prevailing 2-1 in a 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group-stage fixture.

• Fulham are playing against German opposition for the second round in succession, having beaten reigning Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 at home and 1-0 away in the quarter-finals.

• Four Weddings and a Funeral actor Hugh Grant caused a stir in Germany as Fulham’s one-time assistant groundsman attended the Cottagers’ 1-0 win at the VfL Wolfsburg Arena.

• Fulham’s only other games against German opposition marked the end of their 2002/03 UEFA Cup campaign. They lost 2-1 at Hertha BSC Berlin before drawing 0-0 at Queens Park Rangers FC’s Loftus Road – their then temporary home – in the third round.

• Thus Fulham’s record in four games against German sides reads W2 D1 L1 (W1 D0 L1 in Germany).

Match background
• This is Hamburg’s ninth appearance in the semi-finals of a major UEFA club competition. They have won five of their previous last-four ties and lost three, most recently bowing out to Werder Bremen in last season’s UEFA Cup.

• Fulham have long since eclipsed their best season in Europe, and have reached a major European semi-final for the first time in their history.

• Hamburg are unbeaten in their last seven home games, recording six wins and a 0-0 draw since losing 1-0 to Randers FC in the third qualifying round of this season’s competition.

• Fulham’s record in eight European away games this term reads W3 D2 L3, but they have only once failed to score on their 2009/10 continental travels.

You can watch Hamburg  vs Fulham live on several TV stations: Sky Sport HD (Germany), ESPN  (UK), Gol TV (USA), C+ (Spain and France), Al Jazeera Sport, YES Sport 1  and many others.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) convened at the Home of FIFA in Zurich for the 124th Annual General Meeting, which, as is the case with every FIFA World Cup™ year, was chaired by FIFA and its President Joseph S. Blatter.

A presentation was provided on the experiment with additional assistant referees in the 2009/2010 UEFA Europa League, following the 144 matches played so far. It was agreed that following the conclusion of the competition on 12 May 2010, a special meeting of the Board will discuss the final analysis of the experiment on 17-18 May.

Concerning goal-line technology, the Board concluded that goal-line technology would not be pursued.

It was also agreed that Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct – Sending-off Offences), Law 14 (The Penalty Kick) and the roles and responsibilities of the fourth official would all be further discussed on 17-18 May.

Regarding amendments to the Laws of the Game, approval was given to the proposals submitted by The Scottish Football Association in relation to Law 5 (The Referee – Injured Players) agreeing to the treatment of injured players from the same team who have collided on the pitch. It was also approved that stretcher bearers will now only enter the pitch following the signal of the referee.

The proposal of The Scottish Football Association also in relation to Law 5 (The Referee – Injured Players) to allow players to be treated on the field of play “if the injury was sustained as the result of an offence committed against him by an opponent” was not approved. The decision was made that the IFAB Technical Sub-Committee would further discuss this proposed amendment.

The decisions concerning the Laws of the Game taken by the International Football Association Board will come into effect on 1 June 2010.

The 125th Annual General Meeting will take place at Celtic Manor, Newport, Wales between 4 and 6 March 2011.

UEFA has announced that the ticket sales for the UEFA Europa League Final 2010, to be played at the Hamburg Arena on 12 May at 20.45 local time, have gone on sale 24 February at 12.00 CET for people living outside Germany exclusively via Europe’s football website uefa.com.

The international general public will be able to apply for up to two tickets per applicant between 24 February 2010 12.00 CET and 19 March 2010 18.00 CET. Once the application period has finished, allocation will be decided by lottery (ballot) and every valid application will enter the ballot, independently of the time of submission within the application period.

In total, 5,100 tickets will be allocated to the international general public living outside Germany. Sales for the German market ended on 15 January 2010 exclusively via dfb.de.

Tickets are available for the general public (VAT included) in four price categories:
Cat 1   150.00 €
Cat 2  115.00 €
Cat 3   85.00 €
Cat 4   55.00 €
Disabled   55.00 €

The following administration charges, including postal charges and VAT, apply per ticket order:
Europe 30 €
Outside Europe  40 €

Payment can be made by credit card only (MasterCard and Visa) and applicants will be advised by 30 March 2010 if they have been successful or not. Tickets will be dispatched as from 19 April 2010 by express courier.

Ticketing related information is provided by the customer service in Germany:
- by e-mail to uelfinal2010@hsv.de
- by phone to + 49 1805 – 258291

Stadio Olimpico, Turin
Thursday 25 February 2010 – 21.05CET (21.05 local time)
Round of 32, second leg

Juventus hold a 2-1 lead as they welcome AFC Ajax to Turin for the decisive leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie, with the Amsterdam side needing a first win away to the Bianconeri to have any chance of progress.

• After Miralem Sulejmani (17) gave Ajax the lead at the Amsterdam ArenA, Amauri (32, 58) turned the game around, though Hasan Salihamidži?’s late dismissal took some of the gloss off the result for Juve.

Previous meetings
• Ajax and Juventus are meeting for the 12th time. The Dutch side have come off worse in the previous fixtures, with two wins to Juve’s six. Ajax have not won in four previous away games against the Bianconeri, drawing one and losing three.
• Their two most famous encounters came in the finals of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1973 and 1996.
• The clubs’ European Cup final showdown in Belgrade on 30 May 1973 was their first meeting – and Johnny Rep’s fourth-minute goal handed Stefan Kovács’s Ajax side their third consecutive continental crown, meaning they got to keep the trophy.
• Dismissed as Juventus coach in January, Ciro Ferrara was in the Bianconeri lineup when they gained revenge in the 1996 UEFA Champions League final in Rome. After a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, the Turin side won 4-2 on penalties, with Ferrara converting his team’s first spot kick.
• Juve had previously beaten Ajax on away goals in the third round of the 1974/75 UEFA Cup and then 3-0 on penalties in the 1977/78 European Cup quarter-finals after two 1-1 draws.
• Ferrara enjoyed further success against the Amsterdam outfit in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, where Juve prevailed 6-2 on aggregate prior to a 3-1 final defeat by BV Borussia Dortmund in Munich.
• The clubs’ most recent meeting came in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage, when Fabio Capello’s Juve recorded 1-0 home and away wins against Ronald Koeman’s Ajax.
• The lineups for their last encounter in Turin on 23 November 2004 were:
Juventus: Buffon, Tacchinardi, Montero, Emerson, Ibrahimovi? (Kapo, 77), Nedv?d, Birindelli (Cannavaro, 85), Camoranesi (Olivera, 70), Zambrotta, Thuram, Zalayeta.
Ajax: Vonk, Trabelsi, Escudé, Maxwell, Galásek, Rosales, Van der Vaart, De Jong (Sneijder, 70), Grygera*, Boukhari (Mitea, 59), Babel (Anastasiou, 79).
*now a Juventus player

Match background
• In total, Ajax have played 38 games against Italian clubs with the record W11 D11 L16 (W3 D4 L10 in Italy). Juve’s record from 17 games against Dutch opposition is W8 D4 L5 (W5 D1 L1 in Turin).
• Ajax have appeared in the round of 32 in four of the last six campaigns. They were eliminated at this stage by AJ Auxerre in 2005/06 and Werder Bremen in 2006/07 but progressed to the last 16 at the expense of an ACF Fiorentina side featuring Juventus’s Felipe Melo last season.
• Ajax are unbeaten in four away games this season (three wins and a draw), and have lost only once in their last seven European fixtures on the road.
• Juventus last played in the UEFA Cup – now the UEFA Europa League – almost ten years ago, losing 4-1 on aggregate to RC Celta de Vigo in the fourth round in early March 2000.
• Prior to a 4-1 defeat by FC Bayern München in their most recent UEFA Champions League home fixture, Juventus were unbeaten in 18 European home games – a run which stretched back to 2004.

Team facts
• New Juventus boss Alberto Zaccheroni took on Ajax as coach of Udinese Calcio in the second round of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup, with his side winning 2-1 at home but losing the tie on away goals with a 1-0 defeat in Amsterdam.
• Czech defender Zden?k Grygera played for Ajax in their last tie against Juventus before moving to the Turin club on a free transfer in summer 2007.
• Ajax’s on-loan Brazilian striker Kerlon boasts some experience of Serie A football, having represented AC Chievo Verona last season prior to joining FC Internazionale Milano.
• Ajax beat Juve’s city rivals Torino FC on away goals following a 2-2 aggregate draw to win the 1991/92 UEFA Cup final.
• Juventus playmaker Diego scored for Werder when they beat a Hamburger SV side coached by Ajax boss Martin Jol in last season’s UEFA Cup semi-final – Diego hit Bremen’s first goal as they overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 3-2 win at Hamburg.
• Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Del Piero were in the Italy side which beat the Netherlands 3-1 on penalties following a 0-0 draw at the Amsterdam ArenA in the UEFA EURO 2000 semi-finals.
• Ajax’s Luis Suárez had more shots on goal than any other player in the group stage, 26 in total. The Uruguayan scored just twice, and notably had two penalties saved in his side’s 2-1 win against FC Timi?oara.
• The winners of this tie will face the victors of the contest between Fulham FC and FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16 on 11 and 18 March, playing the first leg at home.

Penalties
• As mentioned above, two previous games between Juventus and Ajax have been settled on penalties, with the Turin side winning 3-0 on spot kicks in a 1977/78 European Cup quarter-final and 4-2 in the 1995/96 European Cup final.
• Juventus’s six continental penalty shoot-outs have ended in three wins and three defeats. Ajax are the only European side they have beaten on spot kicks, with their other success coming against Argentinos Juniors in the 1985 European/South American Cup.
• Ajax have been involved in five continental shoot-outs overall, losing all but one. Their only success came against Brazilian side Grêmio FBPA in the 1995 European/South American Cup game in Tokyo, as they prevailed 4-3.

Ajax
Suspended: Luis Suárez
Misses next match if booked: Miralem Sulejmani, Jan Vertonghen
Players added to squad: Hyun Jun Suk, Nicolás Lodeiro, Nathaniel Will
Players removed from squad: Bruno Silva, Dario Cvitanich, Kerlon, Daley Blind, Jeffrey Sarpong

Juventus
Suspended: Hasan Salihamidži?
Misses next match if booked: Mauro Camoranesi, Nicola Legrottaglie, Claudio Marchisio Felipe Melo
Players added to squad: Antonio Candreva, Michele Paolucci
Players removed from squad: Cristian Molinaro, Tiago, Lorenzo Ariaudo

Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
Thursday 18 February 2010 – 19.00CET (19.00 local time)
Round of 32, first leg

AFC Ajax and Juventus will reprise a rivalry that has been played out at the very summit of the European game when they meet in the UEFA Europa League round of 32.

Previous meetings
• Ajax and Juventus are meeting for the 11th time at the Amsterdam ArenA. The home side have come off worse in the previous fixtures, with two wins to Juve’s five.
• Their two most famous encounters came in the finals of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1973 and 1996.
• The clubs’ European Cup final showdown in Belgrade on 30 May 1973 was their first meeting – and Johnny Rep’s fourth-minute goal handed Stefan Kovács’s Ajax side their third consecutive continental crown, meaning they got to keep the trophy.
• Dismissed as Juventus coach in January, Ciro Ferrara was in the Bianconeri lineup when they gained revenge in the 1996 UEFA Champions League final in Rome. After a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, the Turin side won 4-2 on penalties, with Ferrara converting his team’s first spot-kick.
• Juve had previously beaten Ajax on away goals in the third round of the 1974/75 UEFA Cup and then 3-0 on penalties in the 1977/78 European Cup quarter-finals after two 1-1 draws.
• Ferrara enjoyed further success against the Amsterdam outfit in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, where Juve prevailed 6-2 on aggregate prior to a 3-1 final defeat by BV Borussia Dortmund in Munich.
• The clubs’ most recent meeting came in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage, when Fabio Capello’s Juve recorded 1-0 home and away wins over Ronald Koeman’s Ajax.
• The lineups for their last encounter in Amsterdam on 15 September 2004 were:
Ajax: Stekelenburg, Heitinga, Maxwell, Pienaar, Van der Vaart, Obodai (Anastasiou, 72), De Jong, Sneijder (De Mul, 67), Sonck, Grygera* (Escudé, 76), Mitea.
Juventus: Buffon, Emerson, Ibrahimovi?, Del Piero (Appiah, 78), Nedv?d (Olivera, 66), Birindelli (Pessotto, 66), Camoranesi, Zambrotta, Blasi, Thuram, Cannavaro.
* now a Juventus player

Match background
• In total, Ajax have played 37 games against Italian clubs with the record W11 D11 L15 (W5 D7 L4 in Amsterdam). Juve’s record from 16 games against Dutch opposition is W7 D4 L5 (W2 D2 L3 in the Netherlands).
• Ajax have appeared in the round of 32 in four of the last six campaigns. They were eliminated at this stage by AJ Auxerre in 2005/06 and Werder Bremen in 2006/07 but progressed to last 16 at the expense of an ACF Fiorentina side featuring Juventus’s Felipe Melo last season.
• Prior to a 3-1 defeat by RSC Anderlecht in their final UEFA Europa League group stage game, Ajax had been unbeaten in eight European games at the Amsterdam ArenA (four wins and four draws).
• Juventus last played in the UEFA Cup – now the UEFA Europa League – almost ten years ago, losing 4-1 on aggregate to RC Celta de Vigo in the fourth round in early March 2000.
• Juve have scored just once in their last five European away games – Mauro Camoranesi’s winning goal at Maccabi Haifa FC in the UEFA Champions League group stage. However, two of those other games were useful 0-0 draws.

Team facts
• New Juventus boss Alberto Zaccheroni took on Ajax as coach of Udinese Calcio in the second round of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup, with his side winning 2-1 at home but losing the tie on away goals with a 1-0 defeat in Amsterdam.
• Czech defender Zden?k Grygera played for Ajax in their last tie against Juventus before moving to the Turin club on a free transfer in the summer of 2007.
• Ajax’s on-loan Brazilian striker Kerlon boasts some experience of Serie A football, having represented AC Chievo Verona last season prior to joining FC Internazionale Milano.
• Ajax beat Juve’s city rivals Torino FC on away goals following a 2-2 aggregate draw to win the 1991/92 UEFA Cup final.
• Juventus playmaker Diego scored for Werder Bremen when they beat a Hamburger SV side coached by Ajax boss Martin Jol in last season’s UEFA Cup semi-final – Diego hit Bremen’s first goal as they overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 3-2 win at Hamburg.
• Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Del Piero were in the Italy side which beat the Netherlands 3-1 on penalties following a 0-0 draw at the Amsterdam ArenA in the UEFA EURO 2000™ semi-finals.
• Ajax’s Luis Suárez had more shots on goal than any other player in the group stage, 26 in total. The Uruguayan scored just twice, and notably had two penalties saved in his side’s 2-1 win against FC Timi?oara.
• The tie concludes in Turin on 25 February with the winners to face the victors of the contest between Fulham FC and FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16 on 11 and 18 March, playing the first leg at home.

2009-2010 UEFA Europa League round of 32 draw

1. FC Rubin Kazan (RUS) v Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

2. Athletic Club (ESP) v RSC Anderlecht (BEL)

3. FC København (DEN) v Olympique de Marseille (FRA)

4. Panathinaikos FC (GRE) v AS Roma (ITA)

5. Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP) v Galatasaray A? (TUR)

6. AFC Ajax (NED) v Juventus (ITA)

7. Club Brugge KV (BEL) v Valencia CF (ESP)

8. Fulham FC (ENG) v FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

9. Liverpool FC (ENG) v FC Unirea Urziceni (ROU)

10. Hamburger SV (GER) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)

11. Villarreal CF (ESP) v VfL Wolfsburg (GER)

12. R. Standard de Liège (BEL) v FC Salzburg (AUT)

13. FC Twente (NED) v Werder Bremen (GER)

14. LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

15. Everton (ENG) v Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)

16. Hertha BSC Berlin (GER) v SL Benfica (POR)

First leg: 18 February 2010
Second leg: 25 February 2010

Northern Europe’s Number one Party Capital to Welcome Football Fans From all Over the World

On 12 May Hamburg will host the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final. This is a first not only for the City of Hamburg, but also for UEFA: the tournament, previously called UEFA Cup, is now called UEFA Europa League. Following a change in format, the competition now comprises qualifying rounds and a group stage, as well as subsequent play-off rounds, with second-round matches leading up to the final. Hamburg will host the final in May 2010. With its famous entertainment district, Reeperbahn, Hamburg is regarded as Northern Europe’s sports fan mecca.

During the opening event held on 30 November, the event design of the competition and the ticketing scheme were presented. The final will be hosted in the Football Arena at the Volkspark, home of the legendary HSV.

Ever since Germany hosted the 2006 Football World Cup, Hamburg has been recognised as an international football hotspot for fans. Just a few minutes away from the stadium, fans will have the opportunity to explore Europe’s largest entertainment district – the famous Reeperbahn. There is hardly any other street in the world with such a legendary reputation attached to it. Originally, the Reeperbahn was a rather shabby red-light district for sailors, by the 1960s it was the springboard for the career of the Beatles and ever since the 1990s, the Reeperbahn has turned into one of the world’s most vibrant entertainment districts with hundreds of bars, pubs and music-clubs. In daytime Hamburg offers a wide range of tourist highlights, such as Europe’s largest inner-city port and the historic warehouse district Speicherstadt including hypermodern HafenCity.

http://www.uefa.com

http://www.hamburg-tourism.de

Source: Hamburg Marketing GmbH

SEAT becomes the first Presenting Sponsor of the new UEFA Europa League

UEFA announced that an agreement has been reached with the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT, to become the first-ever Presenting Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League for the period 2009-2012.

The three year agreement will commence immediately and run through to the UEFA Europa League Final in 2012.

UEFA General Secretary, David Taylor, commented:

”The best thing about the new UEFA Europa League is its sheer size and scale. This year’s competition will see 205 matches take place across the entire continent. It is a true European competition and I am pleased we have secured a European company in SEAT to act as the Presenting Sponsor over the next three years.

“The UEFA Europa League will be a challenging adventure for players, clubs and fans alike, and I welcome SEAT alongside us as our partner on this journey.”

The President of SEAT S.A., James Muir, said:

“We are delighted to be the Presenting Sponsor of the new UEFA Europa League.

“European football is full of emotions and this is the perfect environment for our brand. The UEFA Europa League offers us a unique platform to expose the SEAT brand to football fans throughout the region.”

SEAT joins adidas – the Official Ball Supplier of the UEFA Europa League – and this agreement concludes the sponsorship sales cycle for the UEFA Europa League.

TEAM Marketing AG is the exclusive marketing agency of UEFA for the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League.